At the time of writing, there are a handful of size-2 fighters in print for the Omega Octant, plus at least three heavy fighters known to exist but which have not been formally written up as of yet.

While a pre-existing discussion thread exists to speculate on a potential heavy fighter for the Federal Republic of Aurora, recent discussions elsewhere on the BBS lead me to think of how the size-2 fighter concept might, or might not, apply across the Omega Octant at large - and, I suppose, how a would-be FRA craft would fit into this broader paradigm.

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Firstly, I should mention those size-2 fighters (or fighter-like craft) which presently exist in print. Apologies in advance for any errors or oversights below.

The Hivers have the Barb-H (OR10.F4), which they of course consider to be a "heavy frigate". It is not standard on any ship, but can replace a pair of size-1 admin shuttles or Barbs on a casual basis. Notably, it (like other Barbs) can arm its own heavy weapons, so does not need to be armed from a carrier. The rules as written present the phaser-W and Sting torpedo armament used by "orthodox" Hives; it remains to be seen if any of the "heterodox" Hives (those which use phaser-Ps instead of phaser-Ws, or tachyon guns or particle beams instead of sting torpedoes) deploy Barb-H fighters of their own.

The Iridani Questors have the Skiff-H (OR14.F5) and the Admiral's Gig (OR14.S2), though the latter is itself something of a unique case. The Skiff-H takes the place of two size-1 Skiffs; notably, the FEBs it carries are armed via double-sized pods, since a fighter-armed FEB cannot be armed by the carrier directly (as the Iridani could not develop a "hold-able" FEB for fighter use). One problem is that FEB pods need to be re-armed by "+" bays according to (OJ2.71), whereas Iridani carrier modules have "=" bays as standard [and cannot swap the former for the latter, according to (OR1.F42)]. It can, however, re-arm the target illuminator, though I'm not exactly sure if this means that the fighter can re-arm it itself or if there is some sort of mechanism by which the carrier can do this for it. (For what it's worth, page 380 of the 2011 OMRB refers to both FEB- and TI-armed fighters as using "=" reload boxes, so I dunno.)

The Ryn Render heavy fighter (OR19.F3) was the most dangerous attack shuttle in Rynish service, but was only deployed during the second Andromedan invasion of the Ryn Nebula. The distinct method of operation used by Rynish fighters makes it somewhat difficult to compare to "regular" size-2 fighters, however.

The Bolosco Sorceror (OR20.F3) benefited from the Bolosco ability to use a standardized arming system for all of their fighters under (OR20.F0). (This also means that, as with other Bolosco fighters armed with focused tractor beams, it cannot be serviced on non-Bolosco carriers.) As with other Bolosco shuttlecraft, its phaser mounts can be set according to the pilot's preferences. I should note that the Sorceror's listed YIS date seems a tad early, not least since the OR-section entry explicitly mentions it as having appeared during the course of the Second Great War.

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Secondly, there are those size-2 fighters known to exist, yet which remain to be printed.

The Souldra reportedly have a Blue "heavy" Shard (OR13.F6), though no information has yet been given on how it operates. Given the ad hoc nature of most Souldra Shard squadrons, perhaps such a craft would take up two size-1 Shard spaces, so long as the standard 33% Black Shard quota has been taken. (It would appear that the Blue Shard would itself be unable to act as a "vampire" Shard.)

As noted elsewhere, the FRA reportedly has a heavy fighter of its own. Since the Auroran Navy tends to standardize its fighter squadron deployments wherever possible, that would require either developing a series of dedicated heavy fighter carriers, or perhaps designing a size-2 fighter capable of being operated by existing carriers (and bases). If the former, it might be an option to convert the CVS into a heavy fighter carrier, or perhaps to build a CVA out of the dreadnought. If the latter, however, the problem would be that any light photons or disruptors would need to be re-armed by "+" bays, as would short-range cannon pods according to (OJ2.72); while any TMs would need "^" bays - neither of which are in plentiful supply aboard Auroran carriers. (Once again, page 380 of the 2011 OMRB refers to SRC-armed fighters as using "=" reload boxes...)

It is noted in the OR-section for the Bolosco Sorceror that it, like a number of other Bolosco unit types, appeared in response to similar units being deployed by the Zosman Marauders. So whatever kind of size-2 fighter were to be done for the Zosmans would need to appear at some point prior to whatever "correct" YIS date the Sorceror ought to have. To an even greater extent than with the Bolosco, accounting for a host of phaser and weapon options might make things quite interesting. Naturally, the Zosman size-2 fighter would come equipped with a Stealth field as standard.

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Thirdly, there is the list of Omega empires which, one way or another, might have cause to develop heavy fighters of their own at some point; there are quite a few of those, so I might wind things up for now and post that list in a subsequent post.

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Thursday, June 08, 2017 - 01:16 am: Edit

Apologies for the oversight; according to (OJ2.75), the Skiff-H can indeed re-arm its own TI.

On a more sobering note, that rule also states that Souldra fighters armed with dark matter torpedoes can re-arm them themselves, which might make any Blue Shards so armed a dangerous prospect - particularly if, unlike the current size-1 Violet Shards (OR13.F2), they were allowed to overload them...

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Saturday, June 10, 2017 - 04:34 pm: Edit

I've been looking over the relevant details in the 2011 Omega Master Rulebook and poring over the current crop of published carrier SSDs. There are some interesting nuggets of relevant information in the former, and some empire-specific challenges (or opportunities) afforded by the latter.

At this point, I've come to think that one may not need to go so far as to cut things down to one size-2 fighter per empire though this would perhaps be the case for certain empires in any event. Rather, it may be reasonable to have one heavy fighter per role per empire, based on the current layout used for each empire's size-1 squadrons.

To go into more detail on what I mean by this, it may be best to go one empire at a time:

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Mæsron: Size-1 Mæsron fighters are deployed in squadrons of 14: 8 standard ("superiority") fighters, four tachyon ("assault") fighters, and two missile fighters. So it may be reasonable to give the Mæsrons squadrons of 7 size-2 fighters, with 4 standard, 2 tachyon, and 1 missile fighter per squadron.

In the case of tachyon fighters, there is an interesting note in (OJ2.12) that some larger and more advanced tachyon gun-armed fighters can be armed with as many as three charges per tachyon gun, as opposed to the limit of 2 on size-1 fighters. This might make things interesting for the Mæsrons, as well as for other TG-armed empires (such as the Vulpa, certain "heterodox" Hives, or certain Zosman Marauder cells).

However, one slight catch in this is now the fighter boxes are arranged on the current set of Mæsron carriers. Neither the CVS nor SCS are laid out well to handle this proposed squadron of size-2 fighters, which may lead the Mæsrons to design separate carriers for this role. (In any event, I'm not sure if Omega carriers are under similar "no heavy fighters and PFs on the same hull" limitations seen over in the Alpha Octant.) Mæsron ground bases could handle size-2 squadrons of 4 standard and 3 missile fighters.


Koligahr: Size-1 Koligahr fighters are deployed in squadrons of 10: 7 phaser ("superiority") fighters and three anti-matter cannon ("assault") fighters. So it may be reasonable to give the Koligahr squadrons of 5 size-2 fighters, with 3 phaser and 2 AC fighters per squadron.

(OJ2.61) notes that fighter-mounted antimatter cannons cannot be armed with double shots unless the fighter's OR-section entry permits it (which, so far as I can tell, none do at present). Interestingly, there are rules for antimatter cloud generator-armed fighters in (OJ2.62), though none exist as of yet. So, would it be worth allowing a size-2 AC fighter (to include any Zosman heavy fighters thus armed) to double a shot? And might it make things interesting to offer a "support" variant equipped with an ACG, which could be taken in place of one (or both) AC fighter(s)?

Carrier-wise, one issue which may trouble the Koligahr is that a carrier with only three "+" boxes would only be able to fully service a single size-2 AC (or would-be ACG) fighter. But then, perhaps that's something they simply got on with doing. However, the Behemoth carrier has the advantage of grouping all six "+" boxes together, which would allow it to deploy heavy fighter squadrons more effectively. Koligahr ground (or sea?) bases could handle size-2 squadrons of 4 standard and 1 AC (or ACG) fighters.


Trobrin: Size-1 Trobrin fighters are deployed in squadrons of 11: 7 binding ("superiority") fighters, two drill ("assault") fighters, and two seeking ("torpedo") fighters. This would make a "neat" squadron of size-2 Trobrin fighters problematic; for now, it may be best to give them a "short squadron" of five fighters: three binding fighters, one drill fighter, and one seeking fighter. (Perhaps an empire-specific exception could allow them to add in a size-1 EW fighter after Y197?)

Carrier-wise, the Trobrin have similar issues as the Mæsrons, in that most of their current SSDs are drawn up to support size-1 squadrons only. So a couple of dedicated heavy fighter carriers may be in order. Trobrin ground bases could handle size-2 "short squadrons" of 3 binding and 2 torpedo fighters (with room for a size-1 EW fighter were the above proposed exception allowed).


Vari: Size-1 Vari fighters are deployed in squadrons of 12: 8 attrition ("superiority") fighters and four particle beam ("assault") fighters. So it may be reasonable to give the Vari squadrons of 6 size-2 fighters, with 4 attrition and 2 PB fighters per squadron.

There are notes in (OJ2.2) regarding the arming of fighter-equipped particle beams, and potential allowances for certain capabilities beyond those found on the current size-1 PB fighters. Whether any future size-2 Vari (or "heterodox" Hiver or Zosman) fighter should be able to make use of those is anther matter.

Notably, the rules for particle splitter torpedoes do not explicitly rule out their use on fighters, though they don't detail how such a weapon would work were it allowed. Perhaps the arming level permitted could be scaled depending on the size of the frame it is mounted on? For example, perhaps a size-1 fighter cannot equip a PST at all; a size-2 fighter could arm it to the standard level only; and any would-be size-3 or size-4 attack shuttles could use the doubled or tripled levels respectively? (Which is not to say I think that Omega medium or heavy bombers ought to exist, I should add.) Presumably, any would-be "torpedo" fighter would require a "^" arming box.

Oddly enough, of the current Vari carriers in print, only the space control ship may carry a full squadron of size-1 fighters; the others have some type of "short squadron" embarked instead. At least the arming boxes are arranged so as to make size-2 squadrons easy enough to deploy on them. Vari ground bases could handle size-2 squadrons of 4 standard and 3 missile fighters.


Probr: Size-1 Probr fighters are deployed in squadrons of 12: 8 Beryl ("superiority") fighters and four Feldspar ("torpedo") fighters. So it may be reasonable to give the Probr squadrons of 6 size-2 fighters, with 4 standard and 2 torpedo fighters per squadron.

It is important to note, however, that the Probr carrier SSDs thus far presented are equipped with "=" boxes only; so any size-2 squadrons embarked on them would have to be phaser types only. (Despite appearances, it does appear that the separate shuttle boxes on the "destroyer-type" centre hulls do comprise a single bay, which would allow the Probr CVS to deploy a full size-2 squadron.) Probr ground bases could handle size-2 squadrons of 4 "superiority" and 2 "missile" fighters.


Chlorophons: the Phons have no carriers at present; even their admin shuttles have no weapons. While I would not mind leaving the door ajar to allowing the Mæsron and Probr "exile colonies" in Association space to use some sort of fighters (if only as system defence units), I don't know if it would be worth bothering to work up a "home-grown" design, or simply allowing the Association to build Mæsron (and/or Probr) fighters under licence.

That said, apparently some sort of fighter-scale energy howitzer exists, according to (OE14.15). So perhaps that might be of use, not least if Zosman fighters may use them also.


Drex: Size-1 Drex fighters are deployed in squadrons of 16, all of which being "superiority" fighters armed with light hypercannons. So it may be reasonable to give the Drex squadrons of 8 size-2 fighters.

However, according to (OJ2.41), some Drex heavy fighters are armed with a single heavy hypercannon. These weapons are limited to the front hex row, but would offer an interesting alternative to a "standard" size-2 Drex fighter arrmed with light hypercannons instead. So I would offer both variants: an "XH1" with HCLs and an "XH2" with a single HCH.

Drex carriers are already set up to handle full squadrons of HCL-armed size-1 fighters, so would have no issues arming a size-2 fighter armed with either light or heavy hypercannnons. Drex ground bases could handle full size-2 squadrons of either fighter type.


Alunda: Size-1 Alunda Remora fighters are deployed in squadrons of 16: with either a full set of "superiority" fighters, or an even split of 8 "superiority" and 8 "assault" fighters.

The problem in this case is a biological one. Is there a size-2 remora-like parasite which the Mirn can make use of? And if not, is the current creature capable of being "grown" to the required size? Yet if so, would the Mirn be able to bio-engineer distinct plasma whip and bio-electric bolt variants, or would they be obliged to use only one kind instead?

At least, the Alunda Host "carriers" (such as they are) would perhaps make deploying such size-2 creatures relatively straightforward. Alunda ground bases could handle such size-2 squadrons also.


(There are too many empires to post at once, so I'll add further posts for the rest below.)

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Saturday, June 10, 2017 - 06:04 pm: Edit

I made a mistake regarding the Alunda in the previous post; their size-1 Remora fighters come in squadrons of 8, so any would-be size-2 fighters of theirs would have to come in squadrons of 4.


Sigivrion: So far, the Sigs have no fighters - or, at least, none which they use in their "native" starship designs. Although, if the Hivers were ever to be given "Barb-X" fighters, I'd wonder if "Sig-Tech" would allow for an Alunda "Remora-X" in response; unless the host creature (or rather, the organic control interfaces used by Mirn pilots) may be too small to enable a "critical mass" of Sig virii to make any sort of difference.


Loriyill: Size-1 Loriyill fighters are deployed in squadrons of 12: 8 phaser ("superiority") fighters and four fireball ("assault") fighters. So it may be reasonable to give the Loriyill squadrons of 6 size-2 fighters, with 4 phaser and 2 fireball fighters per squadron.

It's not quite clear how the layout of the fighter boxes on the Loriyill Firecarrier SSD equates to how they historically operate, but it might be worth noting whether or not the unorthodox "layout" (such as it is) means that the Loriyill cannot use the current bays to deploy a full squadron of size-2 fighters. Loriyill ground bases could handle size-2 squadrons of 4 phaser and 2 fireball fighters.


Souldra: As noted above, Souldra Shards operate under unique conditions. I'd be content with a single "Blue" Shard type, perhaps optimized more as a torpedo craft than as an interceptor.


Ymatrian: Size-1 Ymatrian fighters are deployed in squadrons of 10: all are the same type, though the Ymatrians historically overgunned heir fighters (and were driven from space by the Drex long before they could learn their lessons; the "late" size-1 Ymaatrian fighters in Module Omega 5 are all conjectural). In principle, a conjectural size-2 Ymatrian squadron would have five fighters.

Quite frankly, one could just as well not bother working up a conjectural size-2 Ymatrian fighter. By the time the Paravian show up at the Ymatrian home world, one might bee able to speculate on whether or not the Paravians would recruit "slave pilots" for system defence purposes, or would prefer to fill out such squadrons with their own pilots.

Notably, the Broadsword carrier had a "short squadron" of nine size-1 fighters, which may oblige them to carry no more than four size-2 fighters in the simulators. Only a medium Ymatrian fighter ground base would be well positioned to support a full squadron of five size-2 fighters in the simulators.


Worb: Size-1 Worb fighters are deployed in squadrons of 10: due to the ongoing inter-caste rivalries within the Worb Technocracy, these come in squadrons of 10 High ("assault") or 10Broad ("superiority") fighters; no carrier may deploy a "mixed" squadron. Logically, this would lead the High Worb to develop a squadron of 5 size-2 "assault" fighters, and the Broad Worb to deploy squadrons of 5 size-2 "superiority" fighters instead.

Notably, the subspace rockets on Worb (or Zosman) heavy fighters can hold eight points of energy (as opposed to four points per SSR on a size-1 fighter), according to (OJ2.73). Whether that would be enough to let the High Worb win the argument, or indeed to make a dent against the fearsome Drex, remains to be seen.

Worb carriers are in a good position to use either size-2 fighter type; as are Worb ground bases (so long as each caste makes use of its own base type), though the smallest Worb ground bases (and the planetary control base, though it may not be allowed to use size-2 fighters and PFs in any event) may struggle to find room for them.


Federal Republic of Aurora: I put my revised thoughts on size-2 FRA fighters in this post.


Singer: Size-1 Singer fighters are deployed in squadrons of 15: 10 light ("superiority") fighters and five heavy ("assault") fighters. (Despite the "light" and "heavy" designation, both types are indeed size-1.) Were they able to develop heavy fighters, they may be obliged to field "short squadrons" of 7 fighters, with five "superiority" and two "assault" fighters. (The Singers were already gone by the time EW fighters became commonplace across the Omega Octant, so there's probably no point asking for a similar exception to that posited above for the Trobrin.)

Historically-speaking, any would-be Singer size-2 fighter may be in a similar position as the Ryn Render: around just long enough to try and hold off the inevitable.

To make things more awkward for them, both Singer carriers and ground bases (at least, those which have been published thus far) seem to have problems in terms of embarking even a "short squadron" of seven size-2 fighters. Perhaps the Singers felt that it was not worth the trouble to build dedicated facilities to support them?


Qixa: On paper, size-1 Qixa fighters are deployed in squadrons of 12. In practice, how these were deployed depended greatly on location: a ground base on a planet inside the Qixavalor Cloud may have a full set of superiority or attack (missile) fighters; a trading base deployed outside of the Cloud may ave superiority fighters only; while a "carrier" escorting a trade convoy may replace one or two if its admin shuttles with superiority fighters (or "mercenary fighters", such as Bolosco Conjurers).

On the one hand, building size-2 superiority and missile fighters would be a logical step, as it would no doubt bolster Qixa attempts to defend their home planets. However, given that even size-1 Qixa fighters are pretty thin on the ground in open space, would either type of heavy fighter ever show up outside of the Qixavalor Cloud, even in defence of a trading outpost?

If not, there is probably no point in looking at Qixa carriers, or "out-Cloud" installations. At least Qixa ground bases in the Cloud itself would be well suited to supporting full (or half) squadrons of either type of size-2 fighters.


Branthodon: Size-1 Branthodon fighters are deployed in squadrons of 12 Wyverns: unlike Alunda Remoras, each Wyvern iteration is of a single type. Again as with the Alunda, it's questionable as to whether or not a larger creature of this type exists, or indeed if the Branthodons themselves can "grow" a size-1 Wyvern creature to the required size.

Yet again as with the Alunda, the Branthodons are at least reasonably placed to deploy any "heavy fighters" they may be able to create, be they on Dragonship carriers or on ground bases.


Zosman: As no size-1 Zosman fighters have yet been published, nor the carriers to go with them, this section might be more speculative than most. However, given the size and shape of the various weapon and system modules on the playtest SSDs in Captain's Log #50 and Captain's Log #52, I'd be inclined to see a "carrier module" aligned in a 2x3 grid pattern; perhaps with the top and middle pair of boxes as "=" types, with the bottom pair as "+" (swappable for "^") types. I would go with the "standard" limit of 12 size-1 fighters (or 6 size-2 fighters) per squadron, with the maximum number that can be brought to battle set at 3 squadrons (minus one squadron per Interceptor or PF flotilla also taken). Naturally, all size-1 and size-2 fighters would come equipped with Stealth fields as standard.

This would put a similar set of limitations on size-2 Zosman fighter deployment to that seen for the Iridani, in numerical terms at least. In this case, however, I would make it so that regardless of operating area, the Zosmans would be unable to deploy more than one "assault", "torpedo", or "missile" fighter of a given size per every two "superiority" fighters of that same size. (So a full squadron of size-2 Zosman fighters must have 4 "superiority" fighters out of a total of 6.)

Carriers and Syndicate bases in a given Marauder cell would make use of the "primary", "secondary", and "tertiary" phaser and heavy weapon mounts available to it; those in Alunda or Branthodon space could perhaps find themselves depending more heavily on "superiority" fighters than cells in other operating areas. "At-home" Zosman carriers and bases over in the Phi Sector would mostly rely on wide-angle phasers, tachyon guns, and/or tachyon missiles to load out their fighter options.